The present invention relates in general to radiant energy imaging and more particularly concerns novel apparatus and techniques for providing a scanning rectangular pencil beam of radiant energy with a relatively compact shielded structure requiring a relatively small area of radiant energy opaque material in the moving element. The invention is especially useful in X-ray systems of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,291 embodied in the American Science & Engineering, Inc. Micro-Dose systems used by leading airlines and others for the rapid safe inspection of baggage and parcels for concealed items.
It is an important object of the invention to provide an improved source of a scanning radiant energy beam that may not be focused with conventional lenses according to the laws of geometrical optics.
It is another object of the invention to achieve the preceding object while providing a pencil of rectangular cross section.
It is a further object of the invention to achieve one or more of the preceding objects with a structure that is relatively compact and uses relatively little material that is opaque to radiant energy of the type that may not be focused with conventional lenses according to the laws of geometric optics.
It is still a further object of the invention to achieve one or more of the preceding objects in connection with an X-ray scanning system.